My writing and scholarly work examines human development, mental health, and professional learning across counselor education and higher education. Across roles as a scholar, educator, and academic leader, I am particularly interested in how individuals, professionals, and systems navigate periods of transition, growth, and change.
Books & Editorial Projects
The Power in the Middle: Confidently Navigating Your Midlife with Confidence
This book explores midlife development through a mental health and human development lens, integrating research, clinical insight, and reflective writing to examine midlife as a period of reassessment, growth, and possibility.
Mental Health Practice and Agency Management for Counselors (book proposal in progress, co-editor)
A collaborative editorial project focused on leadership, supervision, and organizational practices in counseling settings, with attention to professional development, agency management, and sustainable systems of care.
Selected Scholarly Work
Selected peer-reviewed and scholarly contributions include work on counselor development, emotional awareness, professional identity, and mental health across the lifespan.
Johnson, B. C., Diambra, J., Anderson Walker, S., Cain, L., Kim, H., O’Brien, E., & Burner, S. (accepted). Permission to be human: A narrative inquiry exploring new counselors’ growth in emotional awareness and attunement to self. Journal of Humanistic Counseling.
O’Brien, E. R. (2020). Counseling women facing contemporary family issues. In S. Degges-White (Ed.), Counseling the Contemporary Woman: Strategies and Interventions Across the Lifespan. Rowman & Littlefield.
Grants & Funded Projects
Behavioral Healthcare through Interprofessional Training (B-HIP)
Primary Investigator, Behavioral Health Workforce Education and Training Program for Professionals (HHS–HRSA).
A four-year, $2.4 million federally funded initiative focused on strengthening the behavioral health workforce through interprofessional education and training.
Professional Writing & Notes
In addition to formal scholarship, I share occasional reflective writing related to leadership, wellbeing, and professional life. These notes are informal and shared without a regular schedule.